Bradley Whitford Joins 'Handmaid's Tale' Season 2

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Bradley Whitford

The 'West Wing' vet will play a major recurring role in the second season of the dystopian drama.

Bradley Whitford is joining The Handmaid's Tale.

The West Wing alum is joining the second season of Hulu's dystopian drama in a major recurring role. He will play Commander Joseph Lawrence, the architect of Gilead’s economy, who is described as gruff and intimidating with a disheveled mad-genius vibe. His sly humor and flashes of kindness make him a confusing, mysterious presence for his newest Handmaid.

The Emmy-winning series stars Elisabeth Moss as Offred, a handmaid who became pregnant at the end of the first season. The sophomore run will focus on her ongoing fight to free her baby from the horrors of Gilead. Moss, who rose to fame on AMC's Mad Men, won both an Emmy and an Golden Globe for her performance on the Hulu drama.

Produced by MGM Television, TheHandmaid's Tale is based on the best-selling book by Margaret Atwood. The adaptation was created, written and executive produced by Bruce Miller, who also serves as showrunner on the series.

For Whitford, the part comes after a solid year onscreen. The two-time Emmy winner has roles in two Oscar-nominated films: Get Out and The Post. He will next star in the crime thriller The Destroyer, opposite Nicole Kidman, and the next Godzilla movie with Millie Bobby Brown. The actor is repped by ICM Partners and Greenlight Management.